harrie January 30, 2016 Share January 30, 2016 I agree with bosawks - patience is essential. And this sounds weird, but personally I keep expectations low, because depending on what your critter has experienced, you might have some figurative mountains to climb. Our current dog had been so intimidated in his previous life that for about a year he would not relax, or even lie down, if we were in the room. The first time he lay down on his side with us, we were thrilled beyond belief because it meant he trusted us - we whispered excitedly about it so as not to alarm him. On the flip side, when something goes right or you have a breakthrough, the high is amazing. 6 Link to comment
Maharincess January 30, 2016 Share January 30, 2016 Rescue is the best. Truelovekiss, I'm so happy to hear that you want to rescue! I don't know if you found Kaylee's story a few pages back, it was a full year before she trusted us. I agree with harrie and bosawks, patience and love will always work. Just be patient and gentle and you'll be highly rewarded. Watching my girl come out of her shell and blossom was one of the best experiences of my life. I don't know how to post pictures but harrie posted some of Kaylee a few pages back for me. She's my angel girl. Keep us posted! 2 Link to comment
truelovekiss January 30, 2016 Share January 30, 2016 Thank you all for your words of advice and encouragement!! Maharincess, I did read Kaylee's story and a few other rescue stories on here, and I thought they were all remarkable and so lovely! It's not going to be immediate. We're waiting until around Easter, so everyone in my family will all have some time off from school/work, so that our new baby can get to know us, and we can try to establish some kind of routine. I totally get patience and low expectations. One thing that I'm worried about is I have is my family is pretty lively, and everyone has different schedules with everyone coming and going. The plus side to that is that there's at least one person the house probably 22 hours per day. (And in the first few weeks, we could probably make sure someone is always home, if needed) The down side is I'm afraid constant coming and going, changes in whose around and noises might make it hard for a dog to adjust. 1 Link to comment
Maharincess January 30, 2016 Share January 30, 2016 If you go through a rescue they can match you up with a dog that will fit your lifestyle. Not every dog in rescue is traumatized and they can match you up with the perfect dog. It's good to not rush into it, take your time and you'll know when its right. Do you have a specific breed in mind? I'm partial to Border Collies so I went through the local BC rescue. There are also plenty of mutt rescues. One thing I will advise you on is that if you have young kids in the house, I wouldn't go with a traumatized, abused dog the first time out. Most dog bites are fear bites and a terrified dog and a young, loud kid aren't the best combination. There are some great rescue, puppy, kitten, cat stories and pictures here. 2 Link to comment
truelovekiss January 30, 2016 Share January 30, 2016 No young kids. My sister is in high school, and my brother is an autistic adult. He loves animals, but I'm worried about him wanting to snuggle, and a dog taking longer to warm up. So I think that a dog that has been abused might not be the best fit for us. We're pretty open to all types, but I think we'll gravitate towards smaller dogs. 1 Link to comment
DeLurker January 31, 2016 Share January 31, 2016 truelovekiss - If you're going through a rescue, my experience is that they are very thorough in assessing the household and lining up a dog that will be a good match, As for your autistic brother, my son is high functioning autistic. When we moved to Texas under extremely adverse medical conditions we landed in my brother's house. They had an old cranky cat who pretty much hated everyone. He immediately took to sleeping with my son (in the family room on an air mattress). He even let my son clean out the gunk that would build up in his eyes (he didn't let anyone else touch his face). Pumpkin and my son related to each other in a way that no one else got. A formerly abused animal may not be the best match, but the animal might also sense the genuine affection your brother has for animals and might trust in that more quickly than with another person. 3 Link to comment
EyewatchTV211 January 31, 2016 Share January 31, 2016 truelovekiss - If your family wants to have the dog by the holiday, you may want to start looking now and apply pretty soon. It varies by rescue, of course, but sometimes the process takes a little while. I volunteer with a rescue group that is one of the more thorough. We have a pretty detailed application, and then volunteers will call and do a vet reference to hear how you've taken care of current and/or previous pets, call your family to discuss your application in more detail, call a personal reference, and do a home visit. Some rescues don't do the home visit part, so the process is usually a bit quicker. Some of those places will even kind of adopt on site - they have events at Petsmart or somewhere like that where you can fill out an application on the spot, speak with them in more detail, and adopt that day. However, I think there is benefit to the more thorough process in terms of making sure the dog is the right fit for your family. That's the benefit to rescues who foster over shelters as well, since fosters really get to know the dogs and their quirks. When you guys eventually apply, make sure one of your parents is the one officially applying. Like I mentioned, I know my group is tough, and they tend to not follow up with people when the child is the one applying. It raises some questions, even if there is a good reason for it on the applicant's end. We're overly cautious since these dogs have already been through so much, and we don't want them to have to go through a negative experience again. Hope I'm not scaring you off! I just wanted to give you some advice early on to help out. It's definitely worth rescuing a dog. Even if things don't work out with one rescue group, there are tons more out there that will have the right dog and that will be willing to work with you. Petfinder.com is a great resource, because it lists dogs from almost all the rescues in your area. Good luck! Keep us posted. 4 Link to comment
Maharincess February 1, 2016 Share February 1, 2016 The rescue I used is pretty thorough too, I had done some pro bono grooming for the foster dogs so they knew me really well by the time I was ready to adopt but they still checked with my vet and things like that. I'm glad they do that, some of these dogs have been through hell so I'm happy they aren't going to be sent into another bad situation. I would really like to foster for the rescue but my Border Collie isn't crazy about other dogs. She does fine with small dogs but she's aggressive with bigger dogs so no fostering for me. 2 Link to comment
Demented Daisy February 1, 2016 Share February 1, 2016 Speaking of rescues, an update on Luke and Leia, if anyone is interested. :-) They seem to be settling in pretty well. The howling has, for the most part, stopped. I think they've figured out that when my husband leaves in the morning, he will be back. We've filmed them when we both leave the house and they still howl, but only for a few seconds. Then they cuddle up together and go to sleep. (Since they recovered from their surgeries, we've put them together in Loki's old extra large kennel. No toys, no treats, nothing for them to fight over. It seems to make them happier than keeping them in separate kennels when we leave.) Luke is pretty chill 90% of the time. He's taken to the leash with ease, but encountering other dogs on the walk makes him skittish. He still doesn't like sudden noises and remains confused by the television, but he's getting over it quicker than in the beginning. We've had to give him the Heimlich a couple of times, but choking scares seem to have slowed his eating considerably. Overall, he's been pretty easy to care for and love. Leia, on the other hand, has been maddening. She is very territorial and has attacked Luke a couple of times. She's not trying to hurt him, of course, just keep him away from "her" stuff, but she's decided that everything is hers. She's still a thief and, when she gets bored, will chew on anything she can get her mouth around -- including the moulding around our fireplace. I even caught her chewing on the corner of our tv. She tried to rip up our carpet. Shoes are not safe. The list goes on and on. Long story short, she keeps me on my toes. I do my best to keep her engaged when she gets these bursts of energy, but she has more than I do. In the meantime, I'm waiting to see if I'm allergic to one or both of them. Since we got them, my skin has gotten itchy, red, scaly, and bumpy. It started on my hands and has progressed up my arms and now down my back. (Gross, right? Sorry.) My nose is constantly stuffed up, red, and itchy. I thought at first that it was just the weather turning colder and the dry air, but the way it has spread makes me wonder. I'm not doing anything rash, though. (Pun not intended.) It's annoying as hell, the constant itchiness, but I can live with it. At least until the spring, when the humidity returns, the temps rise, and the heater is turned off. If things don't change, then I'll make appointments with doctors to get a definitive answer -- hopefully. Allergies are hard to diagnose and take a long time. (It took months of tests as a kid to determine what I was allergic to and the doctor finally told me, "Pollen." Thanks, doc.) Anyway, they're super sweet (especially when Leia is being good) and everyone (including the vet and techs) loves them to pieces. We still have a lot of work to do with her, but we have faith. 6 Link to comment
Maharincess February 1, 2016 Share February 1, 2016 I'm happy they're settling in now Daisy. Leia sounds like a handful but you seem to have a good handle on it. With some patience I'm sure she'll settle down. It kind of sounds like they didn't have anything that was their own in their previous life, that may be where the guarding of "her" stuff comes in. My Kaylee is the same in some ways. She had nothing of her own. We live on a few acres and there's a small fenced section right off the house, that's where she goes to do her bathroom business and to lie in the sunshine. If anybody, human or animal gets anywhere near her fence she goes crazy. She doesn't care if they come on to other parts of the property or even in the house, but do not get near her fence or she'll bark her head off. 2 Link to comment
DeLurker February 3, 2016 Share February 3, 2016 I stopped by the local animal shelter this morning to drop off some donations and got side tracked by the cats they had strategically located by the entry and I was thisclose to leaving with one. While I am definitely getting a dog in the near future, a cat may also be adopted. However, I just realized I know nothing about evaluating a cat for adoption - in terms of their personalities. We've had lots of cats growing up, but they generally were from litters that the neighbors' cats had or strays that adopted us so they became our cat by default. If anyone knows of any good resources I should read up on or can share their knowledge, that would be very much appreciated. The only thing I know is that I am not going to get a Siamese type cat - I tend to be allergic to them. 1 Link to comment
EighteenTwelve February 3, 2016 Share February 3, 2016 In my experience, a shelter cat takes a couple of weeks to settle into whatever it's going to be. My shelter cat would wash one spot on anything (me, bedding, furniture, etc.) for 20 minutes at a time when I first got her. Seven years later, she still likes to wash anything she can reach when the mood strikes (including the other cat), but she'll give up after a couple of minutes at most. So take the shelter behavior with a grain of salt. My ex-feral cat took three months to decide I wasn't a cat-eating monster. I spent a lot of time talking to myself so she'd get used to my voice (fortunately I live alone), and I spent a fair amount of time playing "Where the HELL is the CAT?". (Under the shower curtain, under the end of the quilt, on the top shelf in the closet...). But after the three months, she decided she was a lap cat. Of course, it varies by cat (younger cats take less time to get used to you), but generally give it a couple of weeks and let the cat come to terms with you. 2 Link to comment
Sandman87 February 4, 2016 Share February 4, 2016 If you want a cat that's going to warm up to you quickly, introduce yourself briefly to all of them while they're in their cages at the pound. If they purr, talk to you, or come over to sniff, then they'll like you sooner. I've used that trick for both of the cats that I've gotten for myself over the years, and they both accepted me much more quickly than the cats that my parents adopted when I was growing up. 2 Link to comment
Maharincess February 4, 2016 Share February 4, 2016 (edited) I agree Sandman, I always put my fingers in the cages and the ones who come up and rub on my fingers get a second look. I did adopt one a long time ago that didn't come up to me, I adopted her because she was the damn butt ugliest cat I have ever seen. She was what my grandma would call so ugly she was cute. She had big bug crossed eyes and huge ears and she was a skinny bony old thing. People walked by her cage and said "ew", I thought she was cool. She was so ugly I had to have her. She ended up being a great cat. I always just know when its the right one. You will too. Congratulations on getting pets!! I'm so happy for you and your family. Your kids will get so many benefits from having pets. I'm excited for you. Edited February 4, 2016 by Maharincess 1 Link to comment
33kaitykaity February 5, 2016 Share February 5, 2016 My beautiful 15-year old baby boy went over the Rainbow Bridge yesterday. His name was Peanut and he was absolute feline perfection. I miss him desperately. There's a giant hole in my heart. 3 Link to comment
DeLurker February 5, 2016 Share February 5, 2016 sorry about Peanut. He looks like a sweetie. There might be a giant hole in your heart right now, but that is how much your heart grew from having him in your life. 1 Link to comment
riley702 February 5, 2016 Share February 5, 2016 I'm so sorry about Peanut. (((hugs))) Link to comment
33kaitykaity February 5, 2016 Share February 5, 2016 Thanks, everyone. I've been so numb that I didn't think I was ever going to cry for him, but that part about how my heart grew from having him in my life just opened the floodgates and now I can't seem to stop. Thank you so very much for that. 1 Link to comment
Maharincess February 5, 2016 Share February 5, 2016 Aw, Peanut was beautiful. I'm so sorry for your loss. Sending big hugs. Link to comment
bosawks February 5, 2016 Share February 5, 2016 (edited) I received a request for a photo of Alli's snowshoe adventure.......... Edited February 5, 2016 by bosawks 1 6 Link to comment
Maharincess February 5, 2016 Share February 5, 2016 Alli looks so happy! I love those pictures, she has such a big smile. She's adorable. 1 Link to comment
harrie February 6, 2016 Share February 6, 2016 33kk, I'm so sorry you lost your Peanut. No matter how long they're with us, it's never enough. Many hugs to you. bosawks, it looks like Alli had lots of fun on her adventure. Great action shots! 1 Link to comment
EyewatchTV211 February 6, 2016 Share February 6, 2016 So sorry for your loss, 33kaitykaity. Like others have said, after this period of extreme sadness, I hope you can remember all of the great memories you have. Bosawks, awesome pictures! Alli is so clearly in her element. 2 Link to comment
bosawks February 8, 2016 Share February 8, 2016 (edited) Thanks everybody! It's probably obvious from my posts that I am very proud of Alli and her ear-flapping, tongue-lolling self no matter how many chairs she crashes against or things she knocks off the table......... Edited February 8, 2016 by bosawks 3 Link to comment
JTMacc99 February 26, 2016 Share February 26, 2016 His name was Peanut and he was absolute feline perfection. I miss him desperately. There's a giant hole in my heart. Been a while since I visited this thread. I'm sorry to see this. I was coming here to talk about my buddy Carl, who at 14 has become sick and will soon be making the same journey. I looked at my old Labrador this morning, and he was kind of moping around like he wasn't feeling all that great either, and gave him a stern: You better be okay Danny. I'm gonna need some time to recover after Carl. (I'd post pictures, but I think all of my pets are up towards the top of this thread.) Link to comment
33kaitykaity February 26, 2016 Share February 26, 2016 Been a while since I visited this thread. I'm sorry to see this. I was coming here to talk about my buddy Carl, who at 14 has become sick and will soon be making the same journey. I looked at my old Labrador this morning, and he was kind of moping around like he wasn't feeling all that great either, and gave him a stern: You better be okay Danny. I'm gonna need some time to recover after Carl. (I'd post pictures, but I think all of my pets are up towards the top of this thread.) I don't think anybody would mind if you posted more pictures of your furbabies Carl and Danny. I haven't filled the hole in my heart with a new furkid yet. It'll probably be a while. It just happens so fast. We'll be here for you. 2 Link to comment
krimimimi February 26, 2016 Share February 26, 2016 I, for one, would love to see more pictures of the furry types (past and present) nearest and dearest to your hearts. And I'd bet I'm not alone on that count. More pics, please! 4 Link to comment
Maharincess February 28, 2016 Share February 28, 2016 I swore I would never get another dog after losing my Harley. The end just hurt too damn much. Then a friend sent me "A Dog's Last Will And Testament". After I was done crying after reading it I adopted my girl. I felt really guilty when I would even think about getting another dog because I felt like I was replacing him, but once I got my girl home and she got acclimated I've never regretted it. They don't completely fill the void left in our hearts, those spots are reserved for those we lost but she really helped heal my heart. JTMac, Making that call was to this day the hardest thing I've ever done in my life but I know now that it was my last way of showing him how much I loved him. Even though I knew my pain would just be beginning, I needed to end his pain. I didn't see it that way at the time and felt tremendous guilt but after some space I realized that making that call was done purely out of love for him. I hope everybody's 4 legged babies are doing well tonight. I agree with 33kaitykaity, we're here for you JTMacc99. We're here for any of you who need us. This place has helped me through a lot, there are some great people here. 4 Link to comment
harrie February 28, 2016 Share February 28, 2016 I'd also love to see more pictures of Carl and Danny, JTMac99. It's weird, but I take fewer pictures of the Handsome boy as he's aged - not because I've lost interest, but because I see how gray his muzzle is getting and it gives me the sads. He was also diagnosed with congestive heart failure about a year ago; he's still pretty active, though (and on medication). But this morning was warm and sunny, and low tide was perfectly timed, so we went to the beach. The boy is a huge fan of low tide; he loves the sandbars and to splash around - but no swimming. They're both getting older, but so far only one of them is feeling it. He's not really unhappy, just looking into the sun. 7 Link to comment
bosawks February 28, 2016 Share February 28, 2016 I would also love more pictures! This is my go to thread when having a bad day, well, this and googling "chessie puppies"..... The affection for our pets just radiates from the screen, what's not to love about that! 1 Link to comment
FlyingEgret February 29, 2016 Share February 29, 2016 This is such a great forum I decided to share my two rescue kittens - they are about 11 months old and were adopted together after my 20 year old Chloe left me. For those looking to adopt rescue cats, I highly recommend getting two around the same age so they can commiserate together (as well as get in trouble together!). Of course there may be situations when being an only child is the best option. Meet best friends Selena and Bella: 5 Link to comment
JTMacc99 February 29, 2016 Share February 29, 2016 Thank you all. Here are a couple of Carl when he was about 2, so 12 years ago. That's his brother Lenny's butt in the first one. Lenny's been gone for a while. It's going to be much tougher with Carl. 7 Link to comment
JTMacc99 February 29, 2016 Share February 29, 2016 And on a different note, here is Danny again and his latest companion Neo, mooching as usual... And here is Neo, showing us what a fashionable dog wears on those below zero days here in New York. 6 Link to comment
harrie March 1, 2016 Share March 1, 2016 bosawks, awesome picture and beautiful dog!! How do you get those shots? FlyingEgret, I love your picture of your two kitties, and especially how they're all intertwined. That's some serious commiserating. JTMac99, thank you for sharing pictures of Carl, Danny and Neo (and Lenny's butt). Carl looks like he's got a lot of personality. Danny and Neo are so cute .. the moochers! Is Neo an Italian Grehound, or partially? DeLurker, Sir Robin is adorable - but I've always had a weakness for tuxedoes. The hub saw his moustache and said "Groucho!" So, another famous moustache heard from. I hope you and Sir Robin have many happy years ahead of you. 3 Link to comment
JTMacc99 March 1, 2016 Share March 1, 2016 Neo is indeed an Italian Greyhound. We took him in a few months ago when his owner needed to re-home him. After getting him fixed, he's been a pretty fun dog. (Prior to that, he was a mad humper.) And yes, Carl was a most excellent cat. It was my good fortune to have had him in my life the last 14 years. Link to comment
harrie March 1, 2016 Share March 1, 2016 If I'm reading that correctly JTMac99, I'm very sorry for your loss. 2 Link to comment
Maharincess March 1, 2016 Share March 1, 2016 Oh my god, Sir Robin is awesome! I adore that mustache. I had a tuxedo with markings like that, we named him Stash for mustache. He's adorable. I'm glad it's working out with him. I'm always happy to see older animals get adopted. Bosawks, flying egret and JTMac, thank you so much for posting pictures. They are all so cute. I just can't get enough of all of your pictures. JTMac, I'm so sorry for your loss. It's so hard when we lose our pets. So many people don't understand when we grieve for our pets, I can't tell you how many times I've heard "it's just a dog/cat". We understand, you're among animal loving friends here. RIP Carl. 5 Link to comment
33kaitykaity March 1, 2016 Share March 1, 2016 RIP Carl. I hope he says hello to Peanut for me. 3 Link to comment
JTMacc99 March 1, 2016 Share March 1, 2016 RIP Carl. I hope he says hello to Peanut for me. Reminds me of a story... When we got Lenny and Carl, they were about 3 to 4 months old and had been raised on the streets by their feral mom before being brought into the shelter. Both of them were VERY shy around people for a long time. After a couple years, there was a time where we needed to bring them over to the cat version of a kennel for a few days when we were going on vacation. I was terribly worried that my skittish cats were going to not react well to this situation. When we came back and I went over to pick them up, I was informed that Carl was not only okay, but walked around like he was the mayor of the Cats Cradle. He got along with the other cats and was friendly to the people there as well. Heh. Who knew? So I can only assume that Peanut will rather enjoy Carl's company. He's a good guy who thankfully is no longer suffering. 8 Link to comment
DeLurker March 1, 2016 Share March 1, 2016 Oh my god, Sir Robin is awesome! I adore that mustache. I had a tuxedo with markings like that, we named him Stash for mustache. He's adorable. I'm glad it's working out with him. I'm always happy to see older animals get adopted. <snip> So many people don't understand when we grieve for our pets, I can't tell you how many times I've heard "it's just a dog/cat". Thank you - I'm so happy with him and so happy to see him growing more confident and secure. Just feel sorry for "those people" - I'm related to some and they think I am bonkers when it comes to animals. They are just wired different. My oldest brother and his wife (the ones I live closest too) are those people. They both are really great people and are very giving and supportive of family, but are at a total loss when it comes to understanding an emotional investment in a pet. They understand on an intellectual level, but it goes no further than that. 3 Link to comment
Maharincess March 2, 2016 Share March 2, 2016 I do feel bad for those people. They are missing out on one of the best kinds of love there is. There is nothing like the love of a pet. DeLurker, I need to dig out a picture of my old tuxedo cat Boogie. He had a spot under his nose that everybody said looked like a big booger, hence the name Boogie. Orange cats are my favorite but tuxedos are a very close second. Link to comment
Demented Daisy March 2, 2016 Share March 2, 2016 Every time. Every single time I pick up a camera they wake up. 1 9 Link to comment
harrie March 2, 2016 Share March 2, 2016 Still a great picture. They look hilariously comfortable. Link to comment
Sandman87 March 3, 2016 Share March 3, 2016 I'm just going to say it and get it over with: On Monday afternoon a very large dog that isn't native to the neighborhood got into my yard and killed my cat. My friend, my kid, my foot warmer, my 3AM alarm clock, my big grey quacks-like-a-duck hops-like-a-bunny buddy...gone, just like that. It was quick; there wasn't even time to get him to the car, let alone the vet's office. At least I was there with him at the end. His name was Bellgrove, age 15. Here's a few pictures of him that I haven't posted yet. Some of the pictures were taken shortly after he had his left lung removed a number of years ago, so that's why there's a bald patch on one side. I doubt that he ever missed it - it certainly never reduced his loudness. That's my Mom's cat again in the last picture, a plump bundle of pure affection. She's been a big help the last couple of days. Link to comment
krimimimi March 3, 2016 Share March 3, 2016 Oh my god, Sandman, that's horrible! I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine having to witness something like that, but at least your were with him. I'm the exact opposite of "those" people Maharincess and DeLurker were talking about. I think pet people feel the loss of a pet more keenly than the loss of most people, we're just not supposed to say so. Pets are best friends, and kids, and constant companions and leave furry sized holes in your gut when they're gone. But they also fill hearts with love. There is no loving a pet without the very probable risk of loss, but when the pain subsides (and it does over time), that love always remains. I hope you'll soon be able to find some comfort in the good memories. My life is so much richer for every fur buddy I've known. I challenge anyone to honestly say the same about people. 6 Link to comment
33kaitykaity March 3, 2016 Share March 3, 2016 Oh, Sandman87, I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you contacted your county animal control and reported what this dog did. If the dog killed your cat, it very likely has killed other cats in the neighborhood and needs to be stopped and euthanized if possible. 3 Link to comment
Demented Daisy March 3, 2016 Share March 3, 2016 Oh, that's awful. I can't even imagine how painful that must be. My heart goes out to you. 1 Link to comment
DeLurker March 3, 2016 Share March 3, 2016 Sandman87 - That's horrifying. I am so sorry for your loss. Link to comment
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